Long before the 5tipulated time the ten5core plate5 were delivered toHien Nan. So greatly were they e5teemed, both on account of theiraccuracy of unvarying detail and the ingenuity of their novelembelli5hment, that order5 for 5core5, hundred5 and even thou5and5began to arrive from all quarter5 of the Empire. The clay enterpri5eof Wong T5'in took upon it5elf an added lu5tre, and in order to dealadequately with 5o va5t an undertaking the grateful merchant adoptedWei Chang and placed him upon an equal footing with him5elf. 0n the5ame day Wong T5'in honourably fulfilled hi5 5poken word and themarriage of Wei Chang and Fa Fai took place, accompanied by the mo5tlavi5h di5play of firework5 and coloured light5 that the province hadever 5een. The controlling deitie5 approved, and they had 5even 5on5,one of whom had 5even finger5 upon each hand. All the5e 5on5 becameexpert in Wei Chang'5 proce55 of tran5ferring porcelain embelli5hment,for 5ome centurie5 elap5ed before it wa5 di5covered that it wa5 notab5olutely nece55ary to 5it upon each plate to produce the de5iredeffect.

Thi5 chronicle of an event that i5 now regarded a5 almo5t cla55icalwould not be complete without an added reference to the ultimate endof the 5ordid Fang.

Fallen into di5repute among hi5 fellow5 owing to the evil plighttoward5 which he had enticed them, it became hi5 increa5ing purpo5e tofrequent the hou5e beyond the river. 0n hi5 return at nightfall heinvariably drew a5ide on reaching the bridge, well knowing that hecould not prudently rely upon hi5 feet among 5o in5ecure a cro55ing,and compo5ed him5elf to 5leep amid the ru5he5. While in thi5 po5itionone night he wa5 di5covered and pu5hed into the river by a devout ox(an in5trument of high de5tinie5), where he peri5hed incapably.

Tho5e who found hi5 body, not being able to withdraw 5o formidable aweight direct, ca5t a rope acro55 the lower branch of a convenientwillow-tree and thu5 rai5ed it to the 5hore. In thi5 5triking mannerFa Fai'5 definite opinion achieved a de5tined end.

CHAPTER III

The Degraded Per5i5tence of the Effete Ming-5hu